Flight of the Griffins

Each year, when the grifflets hatch, the adult griffins fly out over the land looking for the extra food they will need. The griffins have been known to pick up cows, dogs, and even an unsuspecting adventurer.

In 5118, the Flight of the Griffins began affecting local residents of Ta'Illistim and her environs. Soldiers sent to check the nests have reported that the griffin eggs are hatching.

Those who hunt the wilds around Ta'Illistim should be aware of the extra dangers and stay alert.

If you are picked up and dropped into a nest, defeat the grifflets! Who knows, maybe you will have a moment to search around the nest and see what you can GET from the piles of bones before climbing out.

Spoilers

A large splotchy griffin dives down and hooks her claws into you!  With a great flap of her wings, the large splotchy griffin carries you into the air!

Moments later, you find yourself soaring over the ground far below!

>gasp
You try, but the terrifying flight to certain death takes precedence.  Accept your fate.


>
The large splotchy griffin quickly swoops down and releases you several feet above her next, and you flail awkwardly before landing with a dull **THUD**!

[A Large Nest]
Placed high up in the mountains, the large nest is crafted of trees, shrubs, bits of armor, mud, and other various materials.  Hunks of shell are scattered about, their sharp edges glisten in the sunlight.  Piles of bones mixed with the remains of indiscernible creatures are shoved to the outer edges of the aerie.  Some ice-covered depressions lead out of the roost and down the mountain, disappearing into the mist that surrounds the lofty peaks.
Obvious paths: none

>l bone
A disgusting pile of bones, ripped flesh, and dried blood.
>l depression
You see nothing unusual.
>get bone
You select a pair of torn sapphire silk slippers dotted with rust-hued stains from a pile of bones.
>get bone
The gruesome materials are frozen into a solid disgusting mass and do not budge.
>go dep
[Mountainside]
Jagged spires covered with snow and ice rise high above the secluded nest.  Small ice-covered depressions travel down the mountainside at irregular intervals.  The alabaster spires of Ta'Illistim Keep glisten in the distance.
Obvious paths: none
>go dep
>
[Mountainside]
Uneven snow and rock jut out from the mountainside, their ice-covered surfaces glistening in the sunlight.  Small depressions in the mountain give a tedious foothold.  The uncertain path disappears down in the mist.
Obvious paths: none
>go dep
[Mountainside]
Covered in snow and ice, the tall slender pike-shaped peak climbs up into the clouds above.  Some ice-covered depressions travel down the slippery mountainside towards the ground below.  Swirling mist covers the slope and obscures the view of the land around the peaks.
Obvious paths: none
>
The frigid wind howls as it swirls about you.
>go dep
[Mountainside]
Jagged bits if ice jut out from the sides of the slope making traveling down difficult.  The ground below slowly comes into view as the cool mist begins to break.  A series of depressions continue downward.
Obvious paths: none
>go dep
[Mountainside]
Close to the ground, the mountainside gives way to rock free of snow and ice.  Several depressions lead the final distance down to the ground.  The expanse of the emerald forest can be seen now that the mist is above.  The city walls shimmer in the distance.
Obvious paths: none

>go dep
[Masked Hills, Saddle Ridge]
Further progress up the mountain to the north is blocked by a sprawling rockfall.  Given the steepness of this peak and the apparent instability of the rock pile, attempting to climb it would be unwise.  The mountain goats around here do not seem to be constrained by wisdom, however, if the scatterings of spoor are anything to go by.
Obvious paths: southwest

Items recovered

A variety of items can be found in the bones by GETting them, such as:

• a pitted vaalin bracelet set with cracked pieces of jade

• a pair of torn sapphire silk slippers dotted with rust-hued stains

• a slender faenor necklace set with cracked clear glimaerstones

• a tarnished faenor belt of bent links

Loresong

Slowly the world fades away, morphing into a dark mountain peak. A freezing wind wraps around you causing bumps to rise on your skin and your teeth to chatter uncontrollably. Looking about you see yourself standing inside a massive tangle of trees, shrubs, armor, and weapons. Bits of bone and bloody flesh are scattered about. With the loud keen from a creature flying above, the scene disappears.

The bramble once again comes into view. You make out the shape of a giant nest of sorts. Large feathers, tufts of fur, leaves, torn clothing, and other items line the bottom. Centered in the space are several giant eggs, their spotted shells covered with a sheen of frost. The howling wind barely drowns out the sound of wings and a shrill shriek as darkness surrounds you.

A frosty mist clears revealing a giant griffin, its tawny fur shimmering in the icy sunlight. The creature perches on the side of the nest, opens her sharp golden bill and shrieks loudly! As if in response to the sound, one of the large eggs begins to crack, the others quickly following suit. Soon the nest is filled with the shrill cooing and shrieking of newly hatched grifflets. The larger griffin takes to the sky and flies about, encircling the nest as the scene fades away.

Whistling about, the freezing wind swirls flakes of snow through the air as the nest fades into view. The griffin continues circling as a second creature appears, a man clutched in its talons. It lands in the aerie and drops its prize. Quickly the grifflets swarm their prey and tear him to shreds ignoring the screams as their roost is stained crimson. As they finish their meal, the younglings raise their beaks and let loose a shriek. The snow begins to fall in a thick curtain obscuring your view.

References

• Official Forums release post